The 1810s, 20s, and 30s were transitional decades for Britain. These
years saw the dislocation of Romantic, revolutionary energies and the
onset of a more stable Victorian society. Whilst early-nineteenth-century
fiction participated in this development and subsequently reflects the
contemporary ethos of shift, emphasising its intermediary status can
impose a disjointed character upon late-Romantic writing which is misleading.
As a literary interregnum flanked by two great social epochs, and subsequently
wrought by transformative pressures, the novel scene between 1820 and
1834 can seem secondary and disjointed, and unlikely to have produced
genres of the extent, coherence, and impact of their forbears and successors.
[1] This picture is contradicted, however, by the significant rise in
the period of female-authored MoralDomestic fiction.

MoralDomestic fiction tapped into
an emphatic turn towards seriousness that permeated society in the 1810s,
becoming a critically approved and commercially successful presence
that effectively domesticated the Romantic novel. MoralDomestic
texts typically combine a grave, educating register with straightforward
narration. They offer variations on a stock plot in which a piously
Christian, philanthropic heroine endures a series of adversities, from
bereavement to poverty, with quiet dignity and unshakable faith, before
achieving personal happiness in the home, the respectful deference of
her community, and most importantly the promise of eternal reward. The
instigating and seminal texts of the genre were Hannah More’s
Evangelical manifesto Cœlebs in Search of a Wife (1808),
which was amongst the biggest-selling novels of its time, and Mary Brunton’s
much-imitated Self-Control (1811). A whole spate of similar female-authored
titles followed; of the 207 novels produced by women in the 1810s, 52
were part of the MoralDomestic genre. MoralDomestic fiction
remained a dominant element of the publishing scene beyond this initial
heyday, with the genre comprising 110 of the 421 female-authored novels
produced between 1820 and 1834. [2]

The MoralDomestic genre is significant
for a number of reasons. This body of fiction shares similarities with
both Romantic and Victorian fiction. Subsequently, as an extensive and
persistent genre it can help to account for the gap between the two
periods. [3] More importantly, however, MoralDomestic fiction
is itself an interesting and in many ways surprising genre. The increased
competition provoked by male writers in the 1820s meant that the MoralDomestic
genre entered a diverse, experimental phase. In this decade MoralDomestic
fiction incorporated thematic variety, stylistic and formal developments,
and complex politics. These features can have a number of insights to
offer. The genre’s representation of women, for example, gives
rise to some stimulating gender politics. At a cursory glance, the MoralDomestic
genre seems to gratify patriarchal conceptions of women; the genre’s
domestic containment of women and its Evangelical advocating of eternal
rather than worldly reward seems to support the existing social order,
and is at odds with the proposals of recognisably radical writers like
Mary Wollstonecraft or Mary Hays. However, a necessarily anti-radical
kind of feminism operates in MoralDomestic texts that empowered
its writers and politicised its seemingly orthodox content, and subsequently
modifies the way in which radical or feminist literature of the period
needs to be defined. For example, owing to the contemporary backlash
against the French Revolution the discourse surrounding early-nineteenth-century
fiction directed renewed hostility towards radical ideologies, and would
have silenced female writers advancing open and aggressive arguments
for reform. In this context the MoralDomestic genre managed to
retain a female voice, albeit a domestic and religious one, in the public
sphere. Furthermore, the religious earnestness that protected these
women writers from disapproval could actually be an empowering subject.
As regards the power of the female writer, authors like Hannah More
did not seek to alter structural patriarchy, but in elevating the reader’s
morality they nonetheless aimed at wielding ideological control. At
the level of content, the prioritisation of Protestant Christianity
above all other kinds of authority also facilitated the representation
of women who could be liberated from male control precisely because
of their religious zealousness; the morally superior heroine could reject
the advice and demands of a father or husband, and even live happily
as an old maid in an exclusively female sphere.

Many such themes are to be found in the
various sub-genres into which the MoralDomestic movement fractured
in the 1820s. A discernible ‘Post-Austenian’ sub-genre,
for example, had its heyday in the early 1820s, and contains some of
the genre’s most absorbing and important texts. Typically Post-Austenian
texts share Jane Austen’s satirisation of gossip, social snobbery,
and social climbers, and are concerned with courtship, companionship,
and the marriage market. Sometimes these fictions paraphrase sections,
or reproduce key scenes, of Austen’s novels. In so doing they
support the notion that Austen was a respected and fairly well-known
novelist who picked up on contemporary concerns. The Post-Austenians’
key characteristic, however, is that their texts extend beyond the boundaries
of Austen’s novels, most often placing a marriage at the beginning
of the fictional work, rather than constructing it as the ‘happy
ending’ that the reader is expected to conjecture. This has dramatic
consequences for the text, making it more intriguing and less formulaic.
The early marriage enabled the writer to direct some pointed criticism
at existing social practices. In Mary Ann Kelty’s Osmond
(1822), for example, the heroine’s marriage proves to be less
than satisfactory, and subsequently represents a critique of the system
that forces a woman to marry before she fully knows her suitor. The
portrayal of unhappiness also enabled the writer to delve into complex
psychological states, such as despair and depression, adding a degree
of detail and sophistication to the narration.

A body of texts concerned with religious
conversion constitute another central sub-genre. The Conversion Novel,
which peaked around 182526, usually portrays a heroine converting
from Judaism or Catholicism to Protestantism. She is helped by a Christian
mentor, often a female religious and domestic exemplar, and usually
loses her existing family and friends in the process of converting.
Another sub-genre of MoralDomestic texts appeared in the period
under consideration, which broadly serve to anticipate aspects of Victorian
thought and fiction. These texts are the product of a somewhat darker
social outlook, and they place existing MoralDomestic tropes and
characters into complex situations by which they are questioned. The
result is that these texts are fundamentally split, openly advancing
the MoralDomestic heroine and Evangelical qualities as right and
proper, yet ultimately undermining this emphasis. Many such MoralDomestic
texts look at poor characters who rise up the social scale, endure adversity,
and gain compensation. In similarity with many of Charles Dickens’
characters, however, these social climbers are eventually plagued by
a divided sense of self. Likewise, a number of MoralDomestic writers
of this later period examine female characters who become governesses
and teachers, and whose external, social behaviour papers over a more
critical, dissatisfied inner self.

Each of the sub-genres mentioned above
contains themes and tropes that warrant attention for the insights that
they offer into important questions, including the status of the Romantic
woman writer and the development of the Victorian novel. This preliminary
checklist profiles the titles that comprise the female-authored MoralDomestic
genre as it appeared from 1820 to 1834. [4] The aim is to provide details
of the physical make-up of the texts, their publishing details and history,
and the nature of their contribution to the genre, so that an investigation
of the contemporary impact and broader significance of this body of
fiction may be carried out. Although the genre is multifarious to a
certain degree, there is a specific criterion to which all of the MoralDomestic
texts in the checklist adhere. As the concern here is with novels that
reached the mainstream of the reading audience (which was, it must be
noted, a relatively small section of the entire British population,
as reading novels continued to be something of a luxury in this period),
the checklist only includes novels belonging to the ‘popular’
publishing scene in Britain. At the level of content, these works evince
a concern with religion that is more detailed and central than the expression
of morality common to much fiction of the period. They also celebrate
the domestic by focussing almost exclusively on everyday, familiar scenes
of home life and by promoting active domesticity in women. This content
is mobilised by a didactic tone; an educating narrative voice seeks
to interpolate a moral and domestic subject rather than to entertain
or amuse the reader.

Table 1: Output of MoralDomestic
Fiction, 18201834

YEAR

MAINSTEAM

POST-AUSTENIAN

CONVERSION

TOTAL

1820

8

1



9

1821

6

2



8

1822

5

2



7

1823

5



1

6

1824

7

3

1

11

1825

6



1

7

1826

3

1

3

7

1827

4

1



5

1828

3

1

3

7

1829

3

1

1

5

1830

8



3

11

1831

1

1



2

1832

2



1

3

1833

6





6

1834

2





2

Total

69

13

14

96

NOTES

Many accounts of the history of the British novel represent the years bridging
the Victorian and Romantic periods as proliferating with minor genres that
corresponded to contemporary trends and social movements. For example in Gary
Kelly’s survey of Romantic fiction, English Fiction of the Romantic
Period 17891830 (London: Longman, 1989), the section covering the
fictional scene of the 1810s and 20s characterises it as a series of transient
genres, including the national and moral tales, ‘tales of the heart’,
and ‘tales of real life’.

The total figures for the 1810s and 20s were taken primarily from The
English Novel 17701829, Vol. II, gen. eds
Peter Garside, James Raven, and Rainer Schöwerling, p. 73, and have been
supplemented by the Bibliographical ‘Updates 14’, published
previously in Cardiff Corvey. Figures for the years 183034 were
determined from PeterGarside, Anthony Mandal, Verena Ebbes, Angela
Koch, Rainer Schöwerling, The English Novel 18301836:
A Bibliographical Survey of Prose Fiction Published in the British Isles:
<http://www.cf.ac.uk/encap/corvey/1830s/>.

This gap between the Romantic and the Victorian periods is often seen as
a seismic rupture that cannot be explained by reference to late-Romantic works.
Richard D. Altick describes this view in Victorian People and Ideas
(London: Dent, 1973), and sees the oversight as being in some ways justified;
Altick refers to the early-nineteenth-century as a ‘fallow interval’
in the history of the novel (p. 2). The existence of the MoralDomestic
genre offers an alternative to this image.

The dates defining the period under consideration correspond both to the
area of interest and to the availability of material. The 1820s and 30s are
the most diverse and intriguing years of the genre. The checklist stops at
1834 as this is this final year covered by Corvey, my main source for examining
the texts.

II

A PRELIMINARY
CHECKLIST OF MORAL–DOMESTIC
FICTION WRITTEN BY WOMEN
AND PUBLISHED IN BRITAIN,
1820–1834

There are a number of grounds on which texts have been
excluded from the following checklist. Such omissions include:

Works in which the didactic aim supersedes other novelistic
elements to the degree that they would not have been part of the ‘popular’
novel market.

Works borrowing the MoralDomestic plot (usually
that of a heroine overcoming adversity through faith) and celebrating domestic
woman, but lacking religious detail and didacticism. Such novels are geared
chiefly towards entertainment, and are more accurately described as ‘society
novels’.

Juvenile literature and tales for youth.

MoralDomestic works by male writers.

The entries take the following form:

Author. Square brackets have been used if this information is not present
on the title page.

Notes of interest, including details of any relevant dedication, preface,
or subscription list that is present, and briefly describing the novel, indicating
the sub-genre in which it participates, and its most interesting facets.

The English Novel 17701829: A Bibliographical
Survey of Prose FictionPublished in the British Isles. Volume ii:
18201829, gen. edd. Peter Garside, James Raven, and Rainer Schöwerling
(Oxford: OUP, 2000).

EN3

The English Novel 18301836: A Bibliographical
Survey of Prose Fiction Published in the British Isles, edd. PeterGarside, Anthony Mandal, Verena Ebbes, Angela Koch, Rainer Schöwerling<http://www.cf.ac.uk/encap/corvey/1830s/>

ill.

illustrated

RLF

The Royal Literary Fund, 17901918: Archives (London:
World Microfilms, 1984): references are to reel and case number

ser.

series

vol.(s)

volume(s)

xCME

Not in the Corvey Microfiche Edition

1820

1.
BEAUCLERC, Amelia.DISORDER AND ORDER. A NOVEL. IN THREE VOLUMES. BY AMELIA BEAUCLERC,
AUTHOR OF MONTREITHE, OR THE PEER OF SCOTLAND; ALINDA, OR THE CHILD OF MYSTERY;
THE DESERTER; HUSBAND HUNTERS, &C.
London: Printed at the Minerva Press for A. K. Newman and Co. Leadenhall-Street,
1820.
I 258p; II 264p; III 275p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47133-8; EN2 1820: 16.
*The overt didacticism and familiar plot of Disorder and Order align
it with the strongly Evangelical works of the Moral–Domestic genre’s inception.
Like Laura Montreville, the heroine of Mary Brunton’s Self-Control
(1811), Beauclerc’s Miriam rejects her first, romantic love in favour
of a more steady and secure relationship.

3.
HOFLAND, [Barbara].TALES OF THE PRIORY. BY MRS HOFLAND. IN FOUR VOLUMES.
London: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Browne, Paternoster-Row,
1820.
I 298p; II 317p; III 361p; IV 309p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-51040-6; EN2 1820: 33.
*Barbara Hofland was a prolific, commercial contributor to the Moral–Domestic
genre. Although her oeuvre altered quite radically as the movement did [in step
with the movement?], Hofland’s works nonetheless share similar progressive
themes. The first tale of the present work, ‘Elizabeth and her Beggar
Boys’, contains liberating images of family and womanhood, as Elizabeth
independently creates an alternative community of orphans.

4.
[KING, Frances Elizabeth].THE RECTOR’S MEMORANDUM BOOK, BEING THE MEMOIRS OF A FAMILY IN
THE NORTH.
London: Printed for the Editor, and sold by Messrs. Rivington, St. Paul’s
Church Yard, and J. Hatchard, Piccadilly, n.d. [1820].
272p. 18mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48602-5; EN2 1820: 41.
*The Rector’s Memorandum Book tells a story of Christian self-control
and philanthropy. Yet these typically Moral–Domestic themes are subjected to
the scrutiny of multiple voices; a detailed ‘Notice by the Editor’
(p. 2) and an ‘Introductory Letter’ (pp. [3]11) establish
[a fictional?] Mr Wilson as the author of the manuscript.

5.
LAYTON, Jemima.HULNE ABBEY, A NOVEL, IN THREE VOLUMES. BY MRS. FREDERICK LAYTON, FORMERLY
MISS JEMIMA PLUMPTRE. DEDICATED BY PERMISSION TO THE DUKE OF NORTHUMBERLAND.
London: Printed for William Fearman, Library, 170, New Bond-Street, 1820.
I xvi, 305p; II 312p; III 290p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47972-X; EN2 1820: 44.
*Hulne Abbey is distinctive for its extreme adherence to norms governing
domestic and social behaviour. Whilst much Moral–Domestic fiction celebrates
the independence of old maids, Layton’s narrator scorns them as deviant,
idle, and ‘malignant old maids, overflowing with gall […] Envy,
malice, and hatred all dwell upon their lips’(vol. 1, pp. 30405).

6.
[LESTER, Elizabeth B.].TALES OF THE IMAGINATION. BY THE AUTHOR OF THE BACHELOR AND THE MARRIED
MAN, THE PHYSIOGNOMIST, AND HESITATION. IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Browne, Paternoster-Row,
1820.
I 227p; II 261p; III 252p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48863-X; EN2 1820: 45.
*Tales of the Imagination consists of ‘Genius’ (vol. 1) and
‘Enthusiasm’ (vols. 2 and 3). Both tales reproduce the customary
Moral–Domestic plot in which trials are endured and virtues rewarded, although
Lester’s religious emphasis is less marked than it is in many Moral–Domestic
works.

7.
[MACKENZIE, Mary Jane].GERALDINE; OR, MODES OF FAITH AND PRACTICE. A TALE, IN THREE VOLUMES.
BY A LADY.
London: Printed for T. Cadell and W. Davies, in the Strand; and W. Blackwood,
Edinburgh, 1820.
I vii, 293p; II 285p; III 296p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47784-0; EN2 1820: 49.*Geraldine was well-received in 1820 for its blending of a correct,
moral aim with well-drawn characters. Mackenzie replaces the overt didacticism
of her Moral–Domestic forbears with a more subtle, illustrative mode of instruction.

8.
[MORE, Olivia].THE WELSH COTTAGE.
Wellington, Salop: Printed by and for F. Houlston and Son. And sold by Scatcherd
and Letterman, Ave-Maria-Lane, 1820.
ix, 223p, ill. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48883-4; EN2 1820 53.
*In keeping with the majority of Moral–Domestic fictions depicting the figure
of the old maid, the maiden Aunt of The Welsh Cottage is an empowered
woman who persuades the heroine to view spinsterhood as a satisfying female
identity. This plot argues against ‘[t]he current acceptation of the term
Old Maid’ which ‘implies a malicious being’ who possesses
‘but few resources for felicity’ (vvi).

10.
HAWKINS, Lætitia Matilda. HERALINE; OR, OPPOSITE PROCEEDINGS. BY L&AELIG;TITIA-MATILDA HAWKINS.
IN FOUR VOLUMES.
London: Printed for F. C. and J. Rivington, Waterloo Place, Pall-Mall, and St.
Paul’s Churchyard: and T. Hookham, Old Bond Street, 1821.
I iv, 362p; II 362p; III 349p; IV 408p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-4751-4; EN2 1821: 44.
*Hawkins’ works of the 1810s were The Countess and Gertrude (1811)
and Rosanne (1814). These were celebrated for their coherent plots and
proper morals. Heraline, on the other hand, displaces Moral–Domestic
tropes, such as that of trials endured, to new scenes. Such experimentation
problematises domestic values. For example Heraline’s defeat of plots
to usurp her noble title ultimately removes her from domesticity.

11.
HERON, Mrs.CONVERSATION; OR, SHADES OF DIFFERENCE. A NOVEL. IN THREE VOLUMES. BY
MRS. HERON.
London: Printed for A. K. Newman and Co. Leadenhall-Street, 1821.
I 236p; II 238p; III 219p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47886-3; EN2 1821: 47.
*Conversation is part of the Post-Austenian Moral–Domestic sub-genre.
Lady Rosvelyn’s subordination of moral integrity to material gain, along
with her hypochondria and hysterical outbursts, are reminiscent of Pride
and Prejudice’s Mrs. Bennett. Alongside its comic dialogue and visual
farce, Conversation explores a range of female characters who do not
marry well.

12.
KELLY, Mrs.THE FATALISTS; OR, RECORDS OF 1814 AND 1815. A NOVEL. IN FIVE VOLUMES.
BY MRS. KELLY, AUTHOR OF THE MATRON OF ERIN, &C.
London: Printed for A. K. Newman and Co. Leadenhall-Street, 1821.
I ii, 275p; II 265p; III 291p; IV 294p; V 301p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48008-6; EN2 1821: 52.
*The Fatalists is less flexible in its moral tone than many other Moral–Domestic
works of the 1820s. A straightforward plot in which stoicism and virtue are
eventually rewarded bears out Kelly’s ‘Christian’ desire to
‘blend useful instruction with innocent amusement’ (Preface, vol.
1, p. ii).

13.
[KELTY, Mary Ann].THE FAVOURITE OF NATURE. A TALE. IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Printed for G. and W. B. Whittaker, Ave-Maria-Lane, 1821.
I iv, 366p; II 414p; III 383p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47503-1. EN2 1821: 54.
*Mary Ann Kelty’s experimental tales are of central importance to the
Post-Austenian sub-genre. The Favourite was well-received in its own
time, and tracks Eliza Rivers’ negotiation of the pressure to make a good
marriage and the need to retain a sense of self-worth. Along the way Eliza is
led to ponder more openly than do Austen’s heroines the justice of social
norms which prohibit a variety of pleasures.

14.
[LESTER, Elizabeth B.].THE WOMAN OF GENIUS. IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, Paternoster-Row,
1821/1822.
I (1821) 227p; II (1821) 230p; III (1822) 207p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48975-X; EN2 1821: 55.
*The Woman of Genius centres on the financially distressed and dependent
Edith Avondale. This figure of the persecuted heroine is characteristic of the
Moral–Domestic genre, yet it is injected here with some less orthodox elements.
For example Edith writes a number of philosophical and fictional works (for
which her ‘friend’ Lady Athos initially takes undue credit) and
is sanctioned as a public artist.

15.
[MOORE, Alicia].THE SISTERS: A NOVEL, IN FOUR VOLUMES.
London: Printed for Baldwin, Craddock, and Joy, Paternoster-Row, 1821.
I 284p; II 236p; III 244p; IV 248p. 8vo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48748-X; EN2 1821: 60.
*The Sisters places the typical Moral–Domestic heroine in situations
that are more frustrating than those depicted in the 1810s. The result is a
psychologically interested, and at times morally ambiguous, fiction. The pious
Felicia is jilted by Evanmore, whose new bride then elopes with an infamous
rake. This representation of a disastrous marriage enables Moore to explore
mental turmoil and an unhappy ending.

16.
TAYLOR, [Ann].RETROSPECTION: A TALE. BY MRS. TAYLOR, OF ONGAR, AUTHOR OF ‘MATERNAL
SOLICITUDE’, &C. &C.
London: Printed for Taylor and Hessey, Fleet Street, 1821.
230p, ill. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48944-X; EN2 1821: 70.
*Retrospections is a sermonising tale told from the perspective of an
elderly woman named Lucy, who is reflecting on her youth. Lucy depicts her foolish
behaviour and selfish aims, before describing how she has redeemed herself by
living as a domestically proficient, religious, and helpful member of the community.

17.
[?TAYLOR, Jane].PRUDENCE AND PRINCIPLE: A TALE. BY THE AUTHOR OF “RACHEL”
AND “THE AUTHORESS.”
London: Printed for Taylor and Hessey, Fleet Street, 1821.
vii, 213p, ill. 12mo.
BL 1152.E.8; xCME; N2 1821: 71.
*Prudence and Principle evinces a straightforward morality in a plot
of virtue rewarded. The text is almost tract-like in its didactic register,
as the narrative voice intervenes to discuss the value of philanthropic activities.

1822

18.
[BARBER, Elizabeth].DANGEROUS ERRORS: A TALE.
London: Printed for Lupton Relfe, 13, Cornhill, 1822.
vii, 254p, ill. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47395-0; EN2 1822: 37
*Elizabeth Barber produced a series of Moral–Domestic texts in the early 1820sInfluence
and Example (1823) and Tales of Modern Days (1824)in which
Christian values and norms are represented as unequivocally just. Barber’s
oeuvre reveals that, despite the general trend towards Moral–Domestic diversification
in the 1820s, the straightforward didacticism characteristic of the 1810s nonetheless
retained its appeal.

19.
[HARDING, Anne Raikes].THE REFUGEES, AN IRISH TALE. BY THE AUTHOR OF CORRECTION, DECISION,
&C. &C. IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, Paternoster-Row,
1822.
I 287p; II 301p; III 354p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47459-0; EN2 1822: 37.
*Harding’s Correction (1818) and Decision (1819) reflect
the thematic limitations of their fictional climate, being formulaic in plot
and straightforward in their moral register. Harding became an important Post-Austenian
writer in the 1820s, however; The Refugees is an exploratory text dealing
cultural and linguistic differences, and refusing fully to condemn its less
moral characters.

20.
HILL, Isabel.CONSTANCE, A TALE. BY ISABEL HILL, AUTHOR OF ‘THE POET’S
CHILD,’ A TRAGEDY.
London: John Warren, Old Bond Street, 1822.
vii, 279p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47689-5; EN2 1822: 42.
*In keeping with several Moral–Domestic texts of the 1820s, the ending of Constance
undercuts the conventional morality and domesticity advocated by the rest of
the text. All Moral–Domestic fictions argue that adversity is rewarded in heaven,
but many nonetheless see their heroines compensated on earth. In contrast, Constance
endures bereavement and poverty without receiving financial reward or marriage.

21.
HOFLAND, [Barbara].TALES OF THE MANOR. BY MRS. HOFLAND. IN FOUR VOLUMES.
London: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Browne, Paternoster-Row,
1822.
I 344p; II 309p; III 342p; IV 309p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-51039-2; EN2 1822: 43.
*In Hofland’s second collection of tales multiple voices frame several
short moral fictions. A series of narrators (including an elderly man, a romantic
woman, and a matriarch) are involved in their own story, and also tell one another
tales, thereby drawing attention to the layering of fiction, fact, and interpretation
in social life.

22.
JOHNSTON, Mary.DOMESTIC TALES; CONTAINING THE MERCHANT’S WIFE AND HER SISTER.
BY MARY JOHNSTON, AUTHOR OF ‘THE LAIRDS OF GLENFERN; OR, HIGHLANDERS OF
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.’
London: G. and W. B. Whittaker, Ave-Maria-Lane, 1822.
220p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-51080-5; EN2 1822: 48.
*Each of the tales in this collection is dominated by an intrusively didactic
narrator. ‘The Merchant’s Wife and her Sister’ is the most
sophisticated tale, and draws on the trope of the opposed, differently educated
siblings. The need for young ladies to gain a domestically useful education
is prioritised over their acquisition of ‘accomplishments’.

23.
[KELTY, Mary Ann].OSMOND, A TALE. BY THE AUTHOR OF ‘THE FAVOURITE OF NATURE:’
IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Printed for G. and W. B. Whittaker, Ave-Maria-Lane, 1822.
I iv, 312p; II 327p; III 396p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48317-4; EN2 1822: 51.
*The representation of marriage in this Post-Austenian tale challenges the validity
of existing sources of female happiness. In Osmond Ellen’s marriage
proves less satisfactory than many Austen novels lead the reader to hope [over-simplistic?],
and leads the narrative to explore the divide between Ellen’s inner desire
and jealousy and her cool, social exterior. This feature anticipates the Victorian
concern with the female psyche.

24.
[STODDART, Lady Isabella Wellwood].TALES OF MY AUNT MARTHA; CONTAINING I. THE LAIRD, A SCOTTISH TALE; II.
THE SISTERS, AN ENGLISH TALE; III. THE CHATEAU IN LA VENDEE, A FRENCH TALE.
London: William Fearman, Library, 170, New Bond-Street, 1822.
I xxiv, 344p; II 372p; III 341p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48868-0; EN2 1822: 72.
*Stoddart is another Moral–Domestic author reclaiming the figure of the old
maid as an image of female autonomy. The three tales in this collection are
the orally transmitted recollections of Aunt Martha, a happily unmarried woman.
The fact that she is the story-teller, and intends her stories for female relatives,
symbolically reverses the contemporary masculinisation of the novel.

1823

25.
ANON.JUSTINA; OR, RELIGION PURE AND UNDEFILED. A MORAL TALE. IN TWO VOLUMES.
London: Printed for A. K. Newman and Co. Leadenhall-Street, 1823.
I 272p; II 277p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48011-6; EN2 1823: 6.
*Justina tells of a stoical and domestic heroine who loses her potential
suitors to a livelier rival. In dealing with the possibility that the Moral–Domestic
heroine may not be attractive to prospective husbands, Justina reveals
the importance of the role of wife. By consequence, Justina’s solitude
is a lucid indictment of both woman’s ultimate dependence on men and her
limited choice of inadequate roles.

26.
[BARBER, Elizabeth].INFLUENCE AND EXAMPLE; OR, THE RECLUSE. A TALE. BY THE AUTHOR OF “DANGEROUS
ERRORS”.
London: Printed for Lupton Relfe, 13, Cornhill, 1823.
iv, 236, ill. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47883-9; EN2 1823: 22.
*Influence and Example is less experimental in its plot than many other
Moral–Domestic texts of the 1820s, as it voices an unequivocal support for a
number of Evangelical principles, and focuses on the merits of philanthropy.
Women are nonetheless powerful in this text, with the heroine’s exemplary
behaviour influencing her community.

27.
CRUMPE, Miss [M. G. T.].ISABEL ST ALBE: OR VICE AND VIRTUE. A NOVEL. IN THREE VOLUMES. BY MISS
CRUMPE.
Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Company; Hurst, Robinson, and
Co. London; and John Cumming, Dublin, 1823.
I vi, 293p; II 260p; III 230p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47354-3; EN2 1823: 30.
*Female-authored Moral–Domestic texts make a variety of references to male writers’
impact on the novel. Isabel St Albe represents one response, with its
grateful acknowledgement to Walter Scott. Crumpe thanks Scott for his ‘approbation
and encouragement’ in her dedication, dated Limerick, 24 February 1823
(vol. 1, p. v). The national and historical themes of the novel itself also
resonate with Scott’s fictions.

28.
HOFLAND, [Barbara].INTEGRITY. A TALE. BY MRS HOFLAND, AUTHOR OF TALES OF THE PRIORY, TALES
OF THE MANOR, AND A SON OF A GENIUS, &C. &C.
London: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Browne, Paternoster-Row,
1823.
264p, ill. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47664-X; EN2 1823: 42.
*Integrity is the first in a spate of one-volume Moral–Domestic titles
that Hofland produced throughout the 1820s. In its portrayal of two female characters
who raise orphans, Integrity incorporates an image of an alternative
‘family’ of individuals who are united not by blood ties but by
bonds of mutual respect and assistance.

30.
[WALKER, Anne].RICH AND POOR.
Edinburgh: William Blackwood, and T. Cadell, London, 1823.
401p. 8vo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48570-3; EN2 1823: 81.
*Rich and Poor promotes a strong, evangelical Presbyterianism, whilst
also engaging in social satire. Much of the narrative dissects Lady Amelia’s
allegiance to both nominal and true Christianity, and her interactions with
a range of contrasting secondary characters, such as Dr Pelham, a bon-vivant
clergyman, and Mr Mansfield, a hard-line minister.

1824

31.
BARBER, Elizabeth.TALES OF MODERN DAYS. BY ELIZABETH BARBER, AUTHOR OF “DANGEROUS
ERRORS”  “INFLUENCE AND EXAMPLE.”
London. Published by Sherwood, Jones, and Co., Paternoster-Row, 1824.
ix, 340p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47102-8; EN2 1824: 17.
*Barber’s preface to these simple moral tales invokes the contemporary
influx of male authors as part of an astute defence of women’s fiction.
Barber states that ‘so many writers of distinguished merit have given
an air of stability and superiority to works of fiction’ (p. iv) so that
‘a fable has turned the tide of national feeling’ (p. vii).

32.
[BRISTOW, Amelia].THE FAITHFUL SERVANT; OR, THE HISTORY OF ELIZABETH ALLEN. A NARRATIVE
OF FACTS.
London: Printed for Francis Westley, 10, Stationers’ Court; and Ave-Maria
Lane, 1824
xii, 216p. 12mo.
O 24, 1; xCME; EN2 1824: 18.
*Bristow is a key contributor to the Moral–Domestic Conversion sub-genre. Although
The Faithful Servant is not a conversion novel it is important because
its narrator argues the principle importance of Protestant Christianity, whilst
the plot, in which the protagonist is praised for resisting temptations, celebrates
endurance and duty.

33.
CAREY, Joanna.LASTING IMPRESSIONS: A NOVEL, IN THREE VOLUMES. BY MRS. JOANNA CAREY.
London: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, Paternoster-Row,
1824.
I v, 367p; II 382p; III 370p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47214-8; EN2 1824: 22.
*Lasting Impressions shares more with the texts of the Moral–Domestic
genre’s 1810s heyday than with its more complex and troubling counterparts
of the 1820s. Carey’s heroine deals with potential suitors with sense
and dignity in scenes that would have been familiar to readers of the ‘society
novel’. The inclusion of this element suggests Carey’s desire for
broad appeal.

34. CHARLTON, Mary.GRANDEUR AND MEANNESS; OR, DOMESTIC PERSECUTION. A NOVEL. IN THREE VOLUMES.
BY MARY CHARLTON, AUTHOR OF THE WIFE AND MISTRESS, ROSELLA, &C. &C.
London: Printed for A. K. Newman and Co. Leadenhall-Street, 1824.
I 331p; II 318p; III 324p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47254-7; EN2 1824: 23.Grandeur and Meanness may be seen to exemplify the popular appeal of
the 1820s Moral–Domestic style. Writers like Charlton wrote occasionally but
not exclusively in the genre, and their Minerva publications presented a subdued
morality and domesticity.

35.
[FERRIER, Susan Edmonstone].THE INHERITANCE. BY THE AUTHOR OF MARRIAGE. IN THREE VOLUMES.
Edinburgh: William Blackwood, and T. Cadell, London, 1824.
I 387p; II 415p; III 359p. 8vo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47877-4; EN2 1824: 33.
*The Inheritance is part of the Post-Austenian Moral–Domestic sub-genre.
Ferrier’s first paragraph echoes Austen’s opening to Pride and
Prejudice, as does her sustained satirical tone. Moving beyond Austen, and
anticipating certain Victorian anxieties, the heroine discovers she is the daughter
of a lower-class man. Gertrude’s subsequent distress and shame resonate
with Pip’s feelings in Great Expectations.

36.
[HAWKINS, Lætitia-Matilda].ANNALINE; OR, MOTIVE-HUNTING.
London: Printed for James Carpenter and Son, Old Bond Street, 1824.
I 346p; II 307p; III 310p. 8vo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47061-7; EN2 1824: 46.
*Annaline is part of the Post-Austenian sub-genre. The heroine is witty,
lively, and virtuous in her negotiation of the marriage market. She is not wholly
faultless however, being prone to jealousy and sullenness. Significantly she
is neither punished nor condemned for these traits.

37.
HOFLAND, [Barbara].DECISION. A TALE. BY MRS. HOFLAND, AUTHOR OF INTEGRITY A TALE, PATIENCE
A TALE, THE SONE OF A GENIUS; TALES OF THE PRIORY; TALES OF THE MANOR, &C.
&C.
London: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, Paternoster-Row,
1824.
272p, ill. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47665-8; EN2 1824: 48.
*Decision tells the familiar Moral–Domestic story of financial hardship
in which the heroine’s virtue and her strength are tested. Yet whereas
Brunton’s Laura Montreville of Self-Control (1811) overcame poverty
by painting, Maria becomes involved in a more typically male industry, selling
iron in the expanding manufacturing world.

38.
HOFLAND, [Barbara].PATIENCE. A TALE. BY MRS. HOFLAND, AUTHOR OF INTEGRITY A TALE; THE SONE
OF A GENIUS, TALES OF THE PRIORY, TALES OF THE MANOR, &C. &C.
London: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, Paternoster-Row,
1824.
289p, ill. 12mo.
BL N.219; xCME; EN2 1824: 49.
*Hofland’s Patience is more formulaic than the other texts that
comprise her 1820s one-volume spate. In keeping with an Evangelical emphasis,
an openly didactic narrator praises the heroine’s self-sacrifice and her
willingness to defer gratification to the afterlife.

40.
[?TAYLOR, Jane].SINCERITY: A TALE. BY THE AUTHOR OF “RACHEL,” &C.
London: Published by Knight and Lacey, 24, Paternoster-Row, 1824.
iv, 176p, ill. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48702-1; EN2 1824: 91.
*Of interest in this otherwise conventional moral tale is the emphatic depiction
of female solidarity. Sincerity criticises the marriage market because
it encourages young women to be vain and jealous, and to resent one another.
By the end of this tale the heroine Matilda has rejected marriage, and has set
up home instead with an emotionally injured female friend.

41.
[WOODROOFFE, Anne].SHADES OF CHARACTER; OR, THE INFANT PILGRIM. BY THE AUTHOR OF “THE
HISTORY OF MICHAEL KEMP.”
Bath: Printed for the Author; and sold by Relfe, Cornhill, and Hatchard, and
Seeley, London; and by all other Booksellers, 1824.
I 474p; II 621p; III 390p. 8vo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48649-1; EN2 1824: 99.
*Shades of Character focuses upon children aged between nine and thirteen.
The typical Moral–Domestic heroine is present in the child’s mother, Mrs.
Deane, but she is a marginal character, with the children’s experiences,
and especially their religious discussions at boarding school, taking centre
stage.

1825

42.
[BUSK, Mrs. M. M.].TALES OF FAULT AND FEELING. BY THE AUTHOR OF “ZEAL AND EXPERIENCE.”
London: T. Hookham, Old Bond-Street, 1825.
I 314p; II 333p; III 303p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-51147-X; EN2 1825: 17.
*Tales of Fault and Feeling contains nine short fictions. The tales all
centre on trials and adversities, although they vary significantly in setting.
For example ‘Arthur Errington’ is a Post-Austenian tale charting
the problems involved in marriage, whereas ‘Miriam’ is a historical
narrative.

44.
[HARDING, Anne Raikes].REALITIES, NOT A NOVEL. A TALE FROM REAL LIFE. IN FOUR VOLUMES. BY THE
AUTHOR OF CORRECTION, DECISION, REFUGEES, &C.
London: Printed for A. K. Newman and Co. Leadenhall-Street, 1825.
I viii, viii, 284p; II 254p; III 263p; IV 243p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48456-1; EN2 1825: 39.
*Realities is an experimental Moral–Domestic text which layers a number
of inset stories against a central plot, and features a narrator who debates
the text’s own fictional status.

45.
HOFLAND, [Barbara].MODERATION. A TALE. BY MRS. HOFLAND, AUTOR OF INTEGRITY A TALE, PATIENCE
A TALE, DECISION A TALE, THE SON OF A GENIUS; TALES OF THE PRIORY; TALES OF
THE MANOR, &C.
London: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Browne, and Green, Paternoster-Row,
1825.
253p, ill. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47662-3; EN2 1825: 42.
*Moderation’s principle characters are the good Christian Rector
Mr. Carysford and his two daughters, one of whom is vain and temperamental whilst
the other is patient and virtuous. This tale exemplifies Hofland’s distinctive
capacity to depict loss and tragedy in a poignant, sympathetic manner.

46.
[KENNEDY, Grace].PHILIP COLVILLE; OR, A COVENANTER’S STORY. UNFINISHED. BY THE
AUTHOR OF “THE DECISION,” “FATHER CLEMENT,” &C.
&C.
Edinburgh: Published by W. Oliphant, 22, South Bridge; and sold by M. Ogle,
and Chalmers and Collins, Glasgow; J. Finlay, Newcastle; Beilby & Knotts,
Birmingham; J. Hatchard and Son, Hamilton, Adams & Co., J. Nisbet, J. Duncan,
B. J. Holdsworth, and F. Westley, London: and R. M. Tims, and W. Curry, jun.
& Co. Dublin, 1825.
272p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48434-0; EN2 1825: 49.
*Philip Colville is this Conversion writer’s unfinished work, and
it depicts a series of moral characters struggling in 1600s Britain. It was
published posthumously with a final editorial section (by an unspecified person)
which states that ‘[t]his would have been a most useful work, for even
our most esteemed historians have either slurred over the odious deeds of that
day, or they have misrepresented them’ (p. 272).

47.
[LESTER, Elizabeth B.].FIRESIDE SCENES. BY THE AUTHOR OF THE BACHELOR AND MARRIED MAN, &C.
&C. &C. IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Browne, and Green, 1825.
I 312p; II 283p; III 300p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47551-1; EN2 1825: 52.
*The tales included in Fireside Scenes are domestic in both ideology
and setting, and contain standard, unquestionable moral messages. The religiosity
of the text is weaker than that manifest in many other Moral–Domestic works
of the period, however.

48.
[WALKER, Anne].COMMON EVENTS: A CONTINUATION OF RICH AND POOR.
Edinburgh: William Blackwood, and T. Cadell, London, 1825.
382p. 8vo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47276-8; EN2 1825: 83.
*The narrative of Common Events picks up where Walker’s Rich
and Poor (1823) left off, with Lady Amelia eventually marrying Mr Moreland,
her truly Christian suitor. Like its prequel, this text blends social satire
with Calvinist Evangelicalism.

1826

49.
{A}[NLEY], {C}[harlotte].MIRIAM; OR, THE POWER OF TRUTH. A JEWISH TALE. BY THE AUTHOR OF “INFLUENCE.”
London: John Hatchard and Son, Piccadilly, 1826.
Vii, 384p. 8vo.
BL N.1243; xCME; EN2 1826: 10.
*Miriam is part of the Conversion sub-genre, and appropriates the standard
Moral–Domestic depiction of suffering in such a way that psychological torment
comes to the fore. In its depiction of a conversion from Judaism to Protestantism,
Anley’s fiction possesses historical authority, and also contributes to
the broader infusion in British cultural consciousness of Protestantism and
nationalism.

50.
[BRISTOW, Amelia].SOPHIA DE LISSAU; OR, A PORTRAITURE OF THE JEWS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY:
BEING AN OUTLINE OF THE RELIGIOUS AND DOMESTIC HABITS OF THIS MOST INTERESTING
NATION, WITH EXPLANATORY NOTES, BY THE AUTHOR OF “ELIZABETH ALLEN; OR,
THE FAITHFUL SERVANT.”
London: Printed for the Author, by Gardiner & Son, Princes Street, Cavendish
Square, and Simpkin & Marshall, Stationers’ Court, 1826.
269p. 18mo.
BL 696.c.9; xCME; EN2 1826: 20.
*Sophia de Lissau is the first text of Bristow’s important ‘Lissau’
Conversion trilogy. In packaging her work as a ‘Portraiture’, with
‘Explanatory Notes’ (pp. 25969), Bristow claims a factual,
enlightening identity for female author and text. In charting the heroine’s
indoctrination by her zealously Jewish mother, Sophia details historical
events and cultural differences that would have been obscure to many readers.

51.
HALL, Mrs. A. C.OBSTINACY. A TALE. BY MRS. A. C. HALL.
London: Printed for Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, Paternoster-Row,
1826.
338p, ill. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47622-4; EN2 1826: 42.
*Obstinacy is markedly darker in tone than many of its contemporaries,
displacing the familiar Moral–Domestic narrative to an unjust society, and by
consequence questioning commonly-held values and morals. The protagonist Frank
is forced to learn caution as few of his friends respond to his trusting nature
well. Likewise Betsey suffers for her philanthropy when she helps a malicious
girl who plots to ruin her.

52.
HOFLAND, [Barbara].REFLECTION. A TALE. BY MRS. HOFLAND, AUTHOR OF INTEGRITY, A TALE; PATIENCE,
A TALE; DECISION, A TALE; MODERATION, A TALE; THE SON OF A GENIUS; TALES OF
THE PRIORY; TALES OF THE MANOR; &C, &C.
London: Printed for Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, Paternoster-Row,
1826.
267p, ill. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47661-5; EN2 1826: 46.
*The heroine of Reflection, Clara, represents country society, reason,
and virtue. After being snubbed by the Reeds of London, Clara reforms this family’s
moral life. Hofland’s preference for country society is based on her view
that it empowers women; living in the country encourages Clara to ignore superficial
concerns like dress and marriage, and to develop instead a more satisfying individuality.

53.
[KELTY, Mary Ann].THE STORY OF ISABEL; BY THE AUTHOR OF “THE FAVOURITE OF NATURE,”
&C. &C. &C. IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Printed for Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, Paternoster-Row,
1826.
I xii, 367p; II 325p; III 332p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48676-9; EN2 1826: 48.
*Isabel is the protagonist of this Post-Austenian text. Yet it is the narrator,
Isabel’s friend Miss Delmond, who possesses the typical traits of the
Moral–Domestic heroine. Miss Delmond exists oddly on the peripheries of Isabel’s
life, and anticipates Victorian heroines such as Jane Eyre and Lucy Snow, who
lack wealth and beauty, but who represent psychologically complex, alternative
versions of womanhood.

54.
MOSSE, Henrietta Rouviere.GRATITUDE, AND OTHER TALES. IN THREE VOLUMES. BY HENRIETTA ROUVIERE
MOSSE, AUTHOR OF LUSSINGTON ABBEY, HEIRS OF VILLEROY, OLD IRISH BARONET, PEEP
AT OUR ANCESTORS, ARRIVALS FROM INDIA, BRIDE AND NO WIFE, A FATHER’S LOVE
AND A WOMAN’S FRIENDSHIP, &C.
London: Printed for A. K. Newman and Co. Leadenhall-Street, 1826.
I xv, 304p; II 278p; III 315p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48346-8; EN2 1826: 59.
*Mosse is one of a number of ‘jobbing’ authors whose sporadic adoption
of the Moral–Domestic genre proves its popularity. The adversity discussed in
her Royal Literary Fund correspondence might also explain her attraction to
a genre that enabled her to portray suffering. Interestingly Gratitude’s
two heroines develop a bond that supersedes social demands; both refuse to marry,
preferring instead to live together.

55.
[OLIVER, Mrs. N. W.].SEPHORA; A HEBREW TALE, DESCRIPTIVE OF THE COUNTRY OF PALESTINE, AND
THE MANNERS AND CUSTOMES OF THE ANCIENT ISRAELITES. TWO VOLUMES.
London: J. Hatchard and Son, 187, Piccadilly, 1826.
I viii, 280p; III 280p. 8vo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48647-5; EN2 1826: 60.
*Sephora’s place in the Moral–Domestic fictional movement of the
1820s is important but also ambiguous. The action occurs in Palestine, and Christianity
is not present. Nonetheless Sephora incorporates a number of prominent
domestic and moral lessons, and is closely associated with the Conversion sub-genre.

1827

56.
[BUNBURY, Selina].CABIN CONVERSATIONS AND CASTLE SCENES. AN IRISH STORY. BY THE AUTHOR
OF “EARLY RECOLLECIONS,” “A VISIT TO MY BIRTH-PLACE,”
&C. &C.
London: James Nisbet, Berners Street, 1827.
173p, ill. 18mo.
BL N.27(3); EN2 1827: 19.
*Selina Bunbury is an interesting contributor to the Moral–Domestic genre as
her works blend didacticism, religious discussion, and Irish concerns and scenery.
The present work is one of Bunbury’s short, almost tract-like stories
about the need for all classes to lead a religious life.

57.
[HARDING, Anne Raikes].DISSIPATION. A TALE OF SIMPLE LIFE. IN FOUR VOLUMES. BY THE AUTHOR OF
“REALITIES,” “CORRECTION,” &C.
London: Printed for A. K. Newman and Co., 1827.
I x, 290p; II 264p; III 252p; IV 292p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47438-8; EN2 1827: 38.
*A prefatory story about a single woman and her disabled daughter reflects and
publicises Harding’s own struggles. The Post-Austenian work itself sanctions
the lively Clara to ridicule some extremely moralistic characters, who she describes
as ‘moping and moaning for sins never committed’, and adhering to
a doctrine of ‘Be wretched on earth, and it will make you happy in heaven!’
(vol. 1, p. 12).

58.
HOFLAND, [Barbara].SELF-DENIAL. A TALE. BY MRS. HOFLAND, AUTHOR OF INTEGRITY, A TALE; PATIENCE,
A TALE; DECISION, A TALE; MODERATION, A TALE; REFLECTION, A TALE; THE SON OF
A GENIUS; TALES OF THE PRIORY; TALES OF THE MANOR, &C. &C.
London: Printed for Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, Paternoster-Row,
1827.
254p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47660-7; EN2 1827: 41.
*Self-Denial is implicitly Christian and links domesticity with the security
of identity and the empowerment of women. In contrast to many of Hofland’s
fictions, however, the present tale is interested in the wealthier sector of
society, and centres around the middle-class Elphinstones and their troublesome
daughter Caroline.

59.
MOSSE, Henrietta Rouviere.WOMAN’S WIT & MAN’S WISDOM; OR, INTRIGUE. A NOVEL. IN
FOUR VOLUMES. BY HENRIETTA ROUVIERE MOSSE, AUTHOR OF A FATHER’S LOVE AND
A WOMAN’S FRIENDSHIP, BRIDE AND NO WIFE, GRATITUDE, &C. &C.
London: Printed for A. K. Newman and Co., 1827.
I iv 308p; II 299p; III 290p; IV 296p; 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48351-4; EN2 1827: 55.
*Woman’s Wit & Man’s Wisdom follows an orphan’s
life with her kind uncle, and her domestic support of him in later life. Christian
gratitude is reciprocal here, and leads to relationships in which men and women
are equal parties.

60.
[WEST, Jane].RINGROVE; OR, OLD FASHIONED NOTIONS. BY THE AUTHOR OF “LETTERS
TO A YOUNG MAN,” “A TALE OF THE TIMES,” &C. &C. IN
TWO VOLUMES.
London: Printed for Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, Paternoster-Row,
1827.
I 413p; II 427p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48609-2; EN2 1827: 78.
*In keeping with the Moral–Domestic genre’s positive appropriation of
the old-maid figure, Ringrove portrays an elderly, single woman who fosters
in the young and wayward Emma an identity that avoids restricting concerns like
marriage and beauty. Most of West’s works appeared pre-1820 and testify
to the correspondence between Moral–Domestic fiction and earlier anti-Jacobin
and anti-sentimental writers.

1828

61.
[BRAY, Anna Eliza].THE PROTESTANT; A TALE OF THE REIGN OF QUEEN MARY. BY THE AUTHOR OF
‘DE FOIX’, ‘THE WHITE HOODS,’ &C. IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Henry Colburn, New Birmingham Street, 1828.
I 344p; II 326p; III 281p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48418-9; EN2 1828: 21.
*The Protestant is a Conversion tale set during the reign of Queen Mary
the First, which follows the fate of a good Protestant family as they stoically
endure brutal treatment at the hands of Catholics. The Protestant contributes
to a contemporary interest in history that was important to Protestant, British
nationalism.

62.
[BRISTOW, Amelia].EMMA DE LISSAU; A NARRATIVE OF STRIKING VICISSITUDES, AND PECULIAR TRIALS;
WITH EXPLANATORY NOTES, ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE JEWS.
BY THE AUTHOR OF “SOPHIA DE LISSAU,” “ELIZABETH ALLEN,”&C.
&C. IN TWO VOLUMES.
London: Published by T. Gardiner and Son, Princes Street, Cavendish Square.
Sold by Hatchard and Son, Piccadilly; Simpkin and Marshall, Stationers’
Hall Court, 1828.
I viii, 269p; II viii, 258p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47560-0; EN2 1828: 23.
*This Conversion fiction, in which Emma de Lissau converts to Christianity despite
the disapproval of her Jewish family, substantiates conservative Protestant
orthodoxy whilst also rejecting patriarchy as radically as did openly feminist
writers like Mary Hays and Mary Wollstonecraft. Emma’s conversion sanctions
her rational judgment and her refutation of all, except the religious, sources
of authority.

63.
[BUNBURY, Selina].THE ABBEY OF INNISMOYLE: A STORY OF ANOTHER CENTURY. BY THE AUTHOR OF
“EARLY RECOLLECTIONS,” “A VISIT TO MY BIRTH PLACE,”
&C.
Dublin: William Curry, jun. and Co. 9, Upper Sackville-Street, 1828.
333p, ill. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47001-3; EN2 1828: 25.
*Selina Bunbury’s anti-Catholic novel of religious conversion is set in
Ireland during the reign of Elizabeth and blends the Moral–Domestic style with
a keen interest in both national and regional character.

64.
CADDICK, Mrs. [H. C.].TALES OF THE AFFECTIONS: BEING SKETCHES FROM REAL LIFE. BY MRS. CADDICK.
London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green; and T. Sowler, Manchester, n.d.
[1828].
v, 199p. 8vo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47182-6; EN2 1828: 27.
*Caddick’s preface defends the female author and bemoans the lot of the
average 1820s woman. The short stories in this collection are typically Moral–Domestic
tales about pious and caring heroines. For example the first tale, ‘The
Soldier’s Sister’, is set in Bristol twenty years before Britain’s
war with its North American colonies, and sees the dutiful Catherine support
and reform her wayward brother.

65.
[HARDING, Anne Raikes].EXPERIENCE. A TALE FOR ALL AGES. BY THE AUTHOR OF CORRECTION, REALITIES,
DISSIPATION, &C. IN FOUR VOLUMES.
London: Printed for A. K. Newman and Co., 1828.
I 260p; II 241p; III 256p; IV 233p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47617-8; EN2 1828: 46.
*Experience is Harding’s last work and arguably her most diverse
Post-Austenian production. There are parallels between the situation of Georgette,
the ‘poor relation’ who comes to have a positive influence on her
hostile relatives, and Fanny Price of Austen’s Mansfield Park.
The ‘rags to riches’ tale that appeared in much Moral–Domestic fiction
is here injected with new life by Harding’s fiery Spanish heroine.

67.
[SMYTHE, Amelia Gillespie].TALES OF THE MOORS: OR, RAINY DAYS IN ROSS-SHIRE. BY THE AUTHOR OF SELWYN
IN SEARCH OF A DAUGHTER.
Edinburgh: William Blackwood, and T. Cadell, Strand, London, 1828.
xix, 437p. 8vo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48865-6; EN2 1828: 76.
*The stories that comprise Tales of the Moors are told by four gentlemen
(two English, one Irish, and one Scottish) on a series of rainy days during
a sporting holiday. In creating male mouthpieces for the fictions that she has
produced, Smythe plays with the issue of the gender of authorship in what is
arguably a playful response to the contemporary male invasion of the novel.

1829

68.
[CORP, Harriet].TALES CHARACTERISTIC, DESCRIPTIVE, AND ALLEGORICAL. BY THE AUTHOR OF
“AN ANTIDOTE TO THE MISERIES OF HUMAN LIFE,” &C. &C. WITH
A FRONTISPIECE.
London: Printed for Baldwin and Cradock, 1829.
vi, 222p, ill. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-51144-5; EN2 1829: 28.
*Corp’s Tales contrasts with the general trend in the 1820s towards
experimentation within Moral–Domestic fiction by retaining the uncompromising
Evangelicalism of the genre’s early years. In the preface Corp is confident
and authoritative when discussing the rigidly moral purpose of her work. The
most prevalent concerns of the nine tales in this collection are female education
and the family.

69.
[GREY, Elizabeth Caroline].THE TRIALS OF LIFE. BY THE AUTHOR OF “DE LISLE.” IN THREE
VOLUMES.
London: Edward Bull, Holles Street, 1829.
I 319p; II 285p; III 279p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48829X; EN2 1829: 40.
*The Trials of Life is Grey’s only Moral–Domestic fiction, with
her other fiction of the period, De Lisle; or the Sensitive Man, being
a society novel. Grey is one of a group of popular novelists whose total oeuvre
contains one or two Moral–Domestic texts alongside works of other genres. Such
writers testify to the malleability of the genre, and to its broad appeal.

70.
HOFLAND, [Barbara].BEATRICE, A TALE FOUNDED ON FACTS. BY MRS. HOFLAND. IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Printed for Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, Paternoster-Row,
1829.
I 324p; II 354p; III 312p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47675-5; EN2 1829: 47.
*In Beatrice social class is a problematic element of identity. Beatrice
is an abandoned child, found and taken in by an elderly farmer and his unmarried
sister. Beatrice struggles as she both feels her difference from her family
but also remains only partially aware of her origins. This psychological investigation
anticipates Victorian anxieties about the effects on individuals of increased
social mobility.

71.
[MACKENZIE, Mary Jane].PRIVATE LIFE; OR, VARIETIES OF CHARACTER AND OPINION. IN TWO VOLUMES.
BY THE AUTHOR OF “GERALDINE,” &C. &C.
London: Printed for T. Cadell, Strand; and W. Blackwood, Edinburgh, 1829.
I 361p; II 391p. 8vo
Corvey: CME 3-628-48365-5; EN2 1829: 57.
*In this Post-Austenian fiction the death of Mr Grenville leaves the heroine
Constance and her mother suffering emotionally and financially. These women
overcome their troubles by cultivating a warm relationship with the wealthy
Lady Lennox and her sons, one of whom Caroline marries. Private Life
depicts male interactions and experiences frequently and convincingly.

72.
[ROBERTSON, Mrs.]FLORENCE: OR THE ASPIRANT. A NOVEL, IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Whittaker, Treacher, and Co. Ave Maria Lane, 1829.
I 296p; II 293p; III 311p. 8vo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47797; EN2 1829: 52.
*Although it has previously been attributed to Grace Kennedy, Robertson’s
Florence is actually a response to that writer’s Protestant Conversion
text Father Clement (1823). In Florence the heroine converts from
Protestantism to Catholicism. What is extremely interesting is that Florence
claims for Catholicism all of the qualities that the Moral–Domestic mainstream
sees as integral to Protestantism.

1830

73.
ANON.THE BIBLICALS, OR GLENMOYLE CASTLE, A TALE OF MODERN TIMES.
Dublin: T. O’Flanagan, 26, Bachelor’s-Walk, 1830.
iv, 292p. 12mo.
BL 1119.d.40; xCME; EN3 1830: 4.
*The Biblicals is part of the Conversion sub-genre. The author makes
reference to Kennedy’s important Conversion text of 1823 by stating that
‘The following narrative was written in the year 1827, and was suggested
by that interesting fiction, “Father Clement”’ (p. [iii]).
The tale itself sees a traditional and strongly religious family prove the contemporary
relevance of scripture to their less moralistic acquaintances.

74.
BEST, Eliza.ST. JAMES’S; OR, A PEEP AT DELUSION. A NOVEL. BY ELIZA BEST. IN
TWO VOLUMES.
London: Printed for the Author, and sold by A. K. Newman and Co. Leadenhall
Street, 1830.
I xi, 291p; II 304p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47120-6; EN3 1830: 23.
*St. James’s is concerned with gender on a number of levels. In
the Preface, Best argue that male writers were matched by women in elevating
fiction as ‘the names of Scott, Byron, Porter, and Mitford, have graced
the modern catalogue of authors’ (p. xi). The novel itself also pays considerable
attention to the male sphere, as Frederick Cherbury is reformed from gaming
and drinking by his friend Osmond Danvers.

75.
BOWDLER, H[enrietta] M[aria].PEN TAMAR; OR, THE HISTORY OF AN OLD MAID. BY THE LATE MRS. H. M. BOWDLER.
London: Printed for Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, Paternoster-Row,
1830.
ix, 244p, ill. 8vo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47271-7; EN3 1830: 24.
*In her preface to this posthumously published work Bowdler claims that she
wrote Pen Tamar as early as 1801. This contextualises Moral–Domestic
fiction as a daughter genre to anti-Jacobin fiction. Bowdler discusses important
authors like Mary Brunton and Elizabeth Hamilton, who were opposed to ‘Mr.
Godwin and others’ supporting ‘the horrors of the French Revolution.’
Pen Tamar positively depicts an old maid.

76.
[BRISTOW, Amelia].THE ORPHANS OF LISSAU, AND OTHER INTERESTING NARRATIVES, IMMEDIATELY
CONNECTED WITH JEWISH CUSTOMS, DOMESTIC AND RELIGIOUS, WITH EXPLANATORY NOTES.
BY THE AUTHOR OF “SOPHIA DE LISSAU,” “EMMA DE LISSAU,”
&C. IN TWO VOLUMES.
London: Published by T. Gardiner & Son, Princes Street, Cavendish Square;
sold also by the Author, South Vale, Blackheath, 1830.
I ii, 268p; II 278p. 12mo.
BL N.726; xCME; EN3 1830: 27.
*In this final work of the Lissau Conversion trilogy Gertrude is brought up
to be obedient, before being duped by a wicked Rabbi, and finally forced to
flee her community. Bristow invokes isolation to both test and argue the necessity
of female strength. When alone Gertrude cannot rationalise, and goes insane.
Yet the heroine of Emma (1828) has a stable self, and emerges unbeaten
from confinement.

77.
[BUNBURY, Selina].ELEANOR. BY THE AUTHOR OF “A VISIT TO MY BIRTHPLACE,” “THE
ABBEY OF INNISMOYLE,” &C. &C.
Dublin: W. Curry, jun. & Co. Sackville-Street, W. Carson, Grafton-Street,
1830.
113p. 18mo.
BL 4413.f.41(1); xCME; EN3 1830: 31.
*Eleanor is a didactic fiction conveyed by an intrusive, educating narrator.
The text is concerned with the traits that a good, respectable woman ought to
possess, and amongst the most prominent to be advanced are domesticity, sensitivity
to others (particularly men), and piety.

78.
GRIMSTONE, Mary Leman.LOUISA EGERTON, OR, CASTLE HERBERT. A TALE FROM REAL LIFE. BY MARY LEMAN
GRIMSTONE, AUTHOR OF “LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT; OR, THE BEAUTY OF THE BRITISH
ALPS,” &C.
London: Printed by C. Baynes, Duke Street, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, for George
Virtue, Ivy Lane Paternoster-Row, 1830.
760p. 8mo.
BL 12614.g.28; xCME; EN3 1830: 59.
*Louisa Egerton reveals Grimstone to be a commercial author manipulating
the popularity and saleability of the Moral–Domestic genre, as it invokes aspects
of the society novel and the Gothic romance. In Louisa Egerton the heroine
is tested by false friends and tempted by dissolution, before emerging virtuous.

79.
JEWSBURY, Maria Jane.THE THREE HISTORIES. THE HISTORY OF AN ENTHUSIAST. THE HISTORY OF A
NONCHALANT. THE HISTORY OF A REALIST. BY MARIA JANE JEWSBURY.
London: Frederick Westley and A. H. Davis, Stationers’ Hall Court, 1830.
322p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-51079-1; EN3 1830: 65.
*Each of the three stories in this collection complicates simple morality and
unequivocal values. The first tells the story of Julia Osbourne, a naughty and
indulged child who must be educated out of her bad ways. The fact that Julia
lack morals even after her schooling questions the familiar emphasis placed
on a good education.

80.
[LEWIS, Mary Gogo].THE JEWISH MAIDEN. A NOVEL. BY THE AUTHOR OF “AMBITION, &C.”
IN FOUR VOLUMES.
London: Printed for A. K. Newman and Co., 1830.
I 249p; II 246p; III 254p; IV 238p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47986-X; EN3 1830: 70.
*Miriam tells the story of a pious and dutiful Jewish maiden’s
dedication to her lover. What is quite singular about this work is its female
writer’s confident and competent delineation of male-to-male interactions.
In addition, many of Miriam’s most positive traits are linked to her Jewish
heritage, which contrasts with the supremacy of Protestantism accentuated in
many Moral–Domestic texts.

81.
[LOUDON, Margracia].FIRST LOVE. A NOVEL. IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Saunders and Otley, Conduit Street, 1830.
I 380p; II 367p; III 433p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47498-1; EN3 1830: 71.
*In similarity with Barbara Hofland, Margracia Loudon begins with the typical
adversity plot of the Moral–Domestic novel, and focuses on the poverty of the
lowest sections of society. This in turn leads to an interest in how changes
in wealth affect identity. In First Love a young beggar boy is placed
under the care of a wealthy nobleman and his daughter and later experiences
class confusion.

82.
MAINWARING, Mrs {M.}.THE SUTTEE; OR, THE HINDOO CONVERTS. BY MRS. GENERAL MAINWARING, AUTHOR
OF MOSCOW, OR THE GRANDSIRE, AN HISTORICAL TALE, &C. IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Printed for A. K. Newman and Co., 1830.
I viii, 288p; II 281p; III 256p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48149-X; EN3 1830-77.
*The Suttee; Or, The Hindoo Converts is a very interesting Conversion
text. Appearing late in the sub-genre’s life, and in keeping with the
trend within the Moral–Domestic movement as whole towards increased experimentation
in this period, Mainwaring’s work goes beyond the familiar conversion
novel territory of Judaism or Catholicism, and turns towards Hinduism.

83.
POLLACK, Maria.FICTION WITHOUT ROMANCE OR THE LOCKET-WATCH. BY MRS. MARIA POLLACK,
IN TWO VOLUMES.
London: Effingham Wilson, Royal Exchange, 1830.
I ii, 242p; II 275p. 8vo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48452-9; EN3 1830: 88.
*Pollack’s is a straightforward contribution to the Moral–Domestic genre,
exhibiting the tropes of the genre’s heyday with little of the experimentation
characteristic of the 1820s. The story features Mr Desbro and his daughter Eliza,
a good Christian girl who struggles to make a good marriage.

1831

84.
[FERRIER, Susan Edmonstone].DESTINY; OR, THE CHIEF’S DAUGHTER. BY THE AUTHOR OF “MARRIAGE,”
AND “THE INHERITANCE.” IN THREE VOLUMES.
Edinburgh: Printed for Robert Cadell, Edinburgh; and Whittaker and Co., London,
1831.
I 337p; II 407p; III 399p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47415-9; EN3 1831: 27.
*Destiny is Ferrier’s third Post-Austenian fiction which incorporates
a varied and lively plot and an ambitious investigation of female identity.
By placing a marriage at the beginning of the novel, and exploring the realities
of bad marriage, Destiny stresses the fact that women and men ought to
know each other fully before marrying.

85.
SHERWOOD, [Mary Martha].ROXOBEL. BY MRS. SHERWOOD, AUTHOR OF “LITTLE HENRY AND HIS BEARER,”
&C. &C. IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Printed for Houlston and Son, 65, Paternoster-Row; and at Wellington,
Salop, 1831.
I viii, 380p, ill.; II 513p, ill.; III 464p, ill. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48688-2; EN3 1831: 64.
*Roxobel has an extremely religious preface (pp. [v]viii) in which
Sherwood strongly defends the novel as a means by which to communicate approved
Christian and educational themes that are otherwise unpalatable to the ‘youthful
reader’.

1832

86.
ANON.SADDOC AND MIRIAM. A JEWISH TALE. PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE
COMMITTEE OF GENERAL LITERATURE AND EDUCATION, APPOINTED BY THE SOCIETY FOR
PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE.
London: John W. Parker, West Strand, 1832.
iv, 130p. 16mo.
BL 863.1.26; xCME; EN3 1832: 9
*Saddoc and Miriam is an important text associated with the late Conversion
sub-genre, in which cultural specificities and religious differences are highlighted.
The displacement of a moral and domestic romance story to a culturally alien
scene substantiates the malleability of the Moral–Domestic genre.

87.
[CADELL, Cecilia Mary].THE REFORMER. BY THE AUTHOR OF “MASSESBUNG.” IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Published by Effingham Wilson, Royal Exchange, 1832.
I 331p; II 352p; III 311p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-48524-X; EN3 1832: 16.
*The Reformer is concerned with wayward men and masculine identity. Lord
Haverfield suffers from a split sense of self; on the one hand, he is talkative
and amusing in company, and on the other he is bored and discontented when alone,
suffering ‘the penalty of dissipation in the shape of headache and lassicitude’
p. 2. The story centres around Haverfield’s gradual rejection of his shallow
life.

88.
[?ST. JOHN, Lady Isabella or ?M’LEOD Miss E. H.].GERALDINE HAMILTON; OR, SELF-GUIDANCE. A TALE. IN TWO VOLUMES.
London: Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street. (Late Colburn and Bentley.),
1832.
I 306p; II 356p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47763-8; EN3 1832: 73.
*Geraldine Hamilton follows the heroine from the moment of her beloved
guardian Uncle’s death, through her subsequent temptation to join the
fashionable world of her estranged father, and her final, sensible persuasion
of her father to be a competent Irish landlord. Christianity and domesticity
are praised throughout.

1833

89.
[BUNBURY, Selina].TALES OF MY COUNTRY. BY THE AUTHOR OF “EARLY RECOLLECTIONS,”
“A VISIT TO MY BIRTH PLACE,” “THE ABBEY OF INNISMOYLE,”
&C. &C.
Dublin: William Curry, jun. and Company; Simpkin and Marshall, London; sold
also by Seeley and Sons, J. Nisnet, and J. Hatchard And Son, London, 1833.
vii, 301p. 16mo.
BL N.1484; xCME; EN3 1833: 14.
*Once again, Bunbury’s allegiance to Moral–Domestic fiction testifies
to the increased experimentation of the genre in the 1820s and beyond, as it
is fundamentally mixed. In the present work the celebration of the domestic
and the didactic aim of inculcating correct morality are indisputably present,
yet the drawing of national character is more prominent still.

90.
[CATHCART, Miss].ADELAIDE; A STORY OF MODERN LIFE. IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green & Longman, Paternoster-Row; Richard
Nichols, Wakefield, 1833.
I xiv, 312p; II 266p; III 279p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47014-4; EN3 1833: 16.
*Adelaide contains a condemnation of women’s wit and intellect
which goes against the liberal, progressive stance adopted by much Moral–Domestic
fiction. Adelaide Fauconberg is a moral and dutiful young woman who modestly
keeps her acts of Christian charity to herself, and is rewarded with a happy
marriage. However Julia, a kind, but also clever, witty, and playful, woman,
suffers a brain disorder and is ruined.

91.
GRIMSTONE, [Mary] Leman.CHARACTER; OR, JEW AND GENTILE: A TALE. BY MRS. LEMAN GRIMSTONE, AUTHOR
OF “WOMAN’S LOVE,” &C. &C. IN TWO VOLUMES.
London: Charles Fox, 67, Paternoster-Row, 1833.
I iv, 261p; II 256p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47769-7; EN3 1833: 30.
*Grimstone’s Preface substantiates the idea that the female writer had
an increasingly confident voice in the 1830s. Grimstone rejects the didacticism
of many of her Moral–Domestic forbears, stating that ‘[t]o invite thinking
rather than to give my own thought  to invite that train of thinking that
will make us more liberal, more considerate towards each other, are among the
motives from which I write.’

93.
STICKNEY, Sarah.PICTURES OF PRIVATE LIFE. BY SARAH STICKNEY.
London: Smith, Elder, and Co., Cornhill, 1833.
xii, 348p. 12mo.
BL N.1481; xCME; EN3 1833: 72.
*Stickney’s is a grave work, as the opening ‘Apology for Fiction’
(pp. [v]xii) indicates. Stickney states that she is ‘a member of
a religious society’ whose writing ‘keeps steadily in view the development
of moral truth’ (p. vi).

94.
[THOMSON, Katherine].CONSTANCE. A NOVEL. IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street. (Successor to H. Colburn.),
1833.
I iv, 338p; II 348p; III 330p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47321-7; EN3 1833: 7.
*Constance is a fairly straightforward contribution to the Moral–Domestic
mainstream. The three orphaned Miss Seagraves go to live with their aunt and
uncle, an amusing, disgruntled pair. The heroine Constance is spiritually superior
to her sisters, and manages to improve her relations’ domestic arrangements.

1834

95.
GRIMSTONE, [Mary] Leman.CLEONE, A TALE OF MARRIED LIFE. BY MRS. LEMAN GRIMSTONE, AUTHOR OF “WOMAN’S
LOVE,” “CHARACTER,” &C.
London: Effingham Wilson, Royal Exchange, 1834.
I viii, 368p; II 342p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-47773-5; EN3 1834: 31.
*Grimstone’s Cleone has a bold preface (pp. [iii]viii) in
which she argues that ‘I wish all who possess influence, political, social,
or domestic, could be convinced that to create happiness is to produce virtue’
(p. viii). Yet bolder is her feminist lamentation of women’s lack of power;
she longs for the time when ‘woman might, as she ought, speak and act
as a free agent.’

96.
HOFLAND, [Barbara].THE CAPTIVES IN INDIA, A TALE; AND A WIDOW AND A WILL. BY MRS. HOFLAND.
IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street. (Successor to Henry Colburn.),
1834.
I 327p; II 320p; III 338p. 12mo.
Corvey: CME 3-628-27676-3; EN3 1834: 37.
*In The Captives an orphaned child returns from India to transform, in
a positive way, the moral habits and domestic unhappiness of her nearest relations,
the Falklands. After this occurs, the family go to India and assist a fellow
English family.

CONTRIBUTOR
DETAILS
Rachel Howard (BA, MA Wales) is currently undertaking doctoral research
at the Centre for Editorial and Intertextual Research, Cardiff University.
Her thesis considers the development and impact of moral–didactic
fiction during the Romantic period.
The matter contained within this article provides
bibliographical information based on independent personal research by
the contributor, and as such has not been subject to the peer-review
process.